Play It Again, Rags
by Lauren Wagner
Summary: Set during the second movie: Ragetti reveals a hidden talent for music!


They were getting drunk after a hard day's work on the Black Pearl.

Elizabeth huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched the pirates pass out the rum gladly, slopping the liquid onto the deck carelessly.

They were ALWAYS getting drunk after a hard day's work on the Black Pearl.

"Disgraceful lot aren't they?"

Looking to her left, Elizabeth found Norrington standing beside her, his long hair and beard making him look somewhat like a madman to an outsider.

He frowned at the drunken display in front of him, and he shook his shaggy head as he let out a sigh.

"If this was my ship and they were my crew…I'd have the skin off of their backs for such unruly behavior!" he growled, narrowing his eyes.

"We just need them to get back Will." Elizabeth whispered to him, making him snort in annoyance.

"After that…I'm sure Beckett will pardon all three of us in return for the Black Pearl and its entire crew for hanging, right?" she added and he blinked and looked at her.

There was a fire burning in her eyes, and a small smile crossed his face as he nodded.

"I'm quite sure that would work, Miss Swann." He agreed.

The two conspirators laughed to themselves, unaware of what was going on with the pirates when they suddenly heard some of them shouting and when they looked back, they saw an embarrassed Ragetti being shoved back to their sleeping quarters, shaking his head and giggling.

"Go git yer instrumen' an' play us somefing, Rags!" Pintel hollered, taking a swig from his bottle, drenching his shirt with just as much rum as he got into his mouth.

"Nah…" The lanky man giggled, but was soon spurred on when Jack smiled and nodded a bit at Pintel's idea.

"Aye! Come on and give us a song, lad! I actually missed yer playing and singing!" the seemingly constantly inebriated pirate captain shouted.

There was no way for Ragetti to turn them down as soon the entire crew was urging him on; stomping their feet on the deck in a rhythm as they chanted for him to play and sing for them.

Covering his mouth with one slender hand, he giggled and nodded as he ran off into the sleeping quarters.

"What are they doing?" Elizabeth asked.

"It looks like they're going to be playing music." Norrington sighed. "He's probably off to get an accordion or some such stupid instrument pirates like to listen to."

He huffed and looked away, turning to look out at the ocean, his back facing the spectacle on the ship.

He wasn't going to turn around when the pirates cheered and shouted out Ragetti's name when he came back, but he did so when Elizabeth gasped and rested a hand on his shoulder.

Frowning, he turned around and his eyes grew wide when he saw what Ragetti was holding.

The lanky man was hugging a lyre to his chest, bowing his head sheepishly as his crewmates clapped their hands and cheered for him.

Elizabeth and Norrington shared a confused look before they decided to join the others and as they sat down; the entire pirate crew made a circle around Ragetti and fell silent.

Ragetti hesitated, biting his lower lip as he looked down at his lyre.

"I…I 'aven' played in ten years, cap'n." he mumbled.

Jack laughed and waved a hand in the air, taking a swig from his rum bottle.

"Come on and give us a song, lad!"

"Aye, come on! Ye been cravin' ta play yer lyre fer years, Rags!" Pintel said. "An' we go' all these new mates wot 'aven' 'eard ye play yet either! Et's no' fair ta no' play fer 'em!"

"Yeah! That's not fair!" Marty agreed. "Pintel has been telling me all about your singing voice and everything!"

"Ye 'ave?" Ragetti asked and Pintel scowled, fearing that his hardened image was being tarnished by this supposed display of affection.

"Jus' git on wit' et an' play somefing!" he growled.

"Bunch of idiots…" Norrington growled, getting back up again. "I knew this was all a bunch of shi…"

Slender fingers suddenly strummed the strings and all noise stopped as Ragetti started to play a slow and sad song on his lyre. His good eye was closed as he played, standing almost completely still in the middle of the circle of pirates.

He seemed like a completely different man as he played for them and then he started to sing and Elizabeth's eyes grew wide.

His voice was beautiful and soft and did not seem to fit with the awkward body that it came from. He did not stutter over his words as he sang, and his accent had also gone away as the words flowed from thin lips.

He sang about happiness and sorrow and all of the emotions in-between that a person could possibly feel while on the sea.

He sang about losing friends in battle and leaving family behind.

He sang about losing a limb in a fight, and of always thinking that it's still there with you, but then you would feel for it and find that it's gone for good this time.

He sang about honor on a British Navy ship, and how most Naval officers did not have it and never would, while others would often be punished for trying to keep to tradition and the code.

He sang about the ship itself and how it was truly freedom incarnate, letting a man live his life as he wished to.

He then sang about the noose, and how the supposed civilized of the world would stand around and watch as a man dangled from the end of the rope, his neck snapped and his life gone from him in a cruel instant.

When he was finished, the entire crew was silent and Ragetti quietly rested the palm of his hand on the vibrating strings, silencing them before looking up with his usual dim smile.

There were tears in everyone's eyes; including Norrington's and Jack Sparrow's and Ragetti scratched the back of his head as he sat down beside Pintel.

"Did I do somefing wrong?" he asked and he tilted his head to one side as Pintel quickly looked away from him, wiping at his eyes with his sleeve to try and hide his tears.

"That…That was beautiful."

He looked up and was vaguely surprised to find Elizabeth standing in front of him, tears still in her eyes.

"Poppet?"

"Thank you for that." She said before walking off again, and Ragetti blinked and watched her leave with Norrington, tilting his head to the other side.

"Wot did I do?" he asked.

"Ah shuddup and drin' some rum, Rags." Pintel muttered, his voice still choked up a bit as he shoved a bottle of rum into his hands.


End file.
